So, after one additional delay (let’s just say the District Children’s Officer did not try his best to accommodate Eden coming home in a timely manner), she is home! We went to the magistrate today with an entire car load of people (a lawyer, a social worker, a rep from Sally Test, Ben, me and Eden) and met the DCO there. The lawyer said a few sentences that the magistrate wrote down, then there was some chatting in Swahili and then the magistrate formally handed Eden over to us. YEA!!

She had refused to eat anything at STC but on the car ride home she ate some banana and when we got back to the house she ate half a piece of bread, cerelax with a banana mashed in and drank a little guava juice. She still has a cough but she hasn’t thrown up today. She even drank down her medicine without any problems. After lunch we cleaned up, then I gave Eden her milk and she almost finished that before she turned over onto my chest and fell asleep. She is currently sleeping soundly for the first time in her pack-n-play. We posted some pictures and will continue to post about our many “firsts” with her.

If you heard the echo of a very loud HOORAY late this morning, it was me shouting for joy after our hearing. We finally made it into court at around 4. We met in the magistrate’s chambers and she asked me some questions and heard from the lawyer. She was really wonderful and wanted to see pictures of Eden and I think if she could have authorized the adoption she would have done it today. Our lawyer had drawn up the papers granting us custody in hopes that the magistrate would approve us so she was able to sign the order right away. She laughed when he handed her the papers because normally after she gives her verdict, the lawyer goes back and types out the order and then you have to make another appointment and go back to get them signed. He told her we were so anxious to have her home that he had prepared them ahead of time. After I left the room, she told the lawyer that she was glad that I was pregnant and still wanted to adopt Eden because that shows that we really love Eden and aren’t just looking to get a baby quickly.

All of that was very exciting but we didn’t get out of there until 5. The next step is to go to the District Children’s Office again and get our paper signed by them, and then we get to take Eden from the hospital. We were hoping to be able to bring her home tonight but since we didn’t finish in court until 5, the DCO was already closed. We are going first thing tomorrow morning, then back to the hospital to get Eden and then we will come home! We can’t wait! Eden is more sick today and the doctor gave her medicine for her cough. When she coughs really hard it makes her throw up (which she did many times today) and Eden is currently refusing food. She drank some guava juice and a little milk and ate a few french fries but she wouldn’t eat anything else. We need to get her home so that we can take good care of her and get her feeling better! We will be sure to take pictures tomorrow and post them.  God is so faithful in answering our prayers!  We are very thankful to be blessed with this amazing little girl and can’t wait to see what other awesome plans God has for her.  Please continue to pray that things move quickly tomorrow and that Eden is feeling better soon!

So we haven’t posted anything in a while and apparently folks are getting antsy! 🙂 Ben and I have been pretty consumed with trying to get the Eden situation worked out. It’s really been a roller coaster. One day we get great news and the next we get awful news. Ben and I are not sleeping well and Eden apparently hasn’t been either. The nurses told me that she just cries all night long. I think she also isn’t feeling well. A couple of the other babies had colds last week and I’m afraid that Eden caught it. I was very careful to keep her away from the germs but when I got to STC on Thursday one of the girls was feeding Eden and one of the sick babies with the same spoon! Ugh!

Anyway, she has been taking really long naps and hasn’t been her normal cheery self. Today she threw up on each of us. Ben mostly got water, but I definitely didn’t. She did start feeding herself for the first time today and Ben got it on video and will post it soon!

We file in Children’s Court tomorrow and hopefully will be able to be heard tomorrow as well. If things go well there, Eden should be able to come home with us right away. We’ve already been to the store to buy all the necessities and we even got a pack-n-play. It’s red and gray for all you West Side fans! We aren’t allowed to bring Eden here, so if she is able to come home with us, we will have to move across the alley. The family there owns their house (our house is owned by IU) and they are willing to rent us a room. It will be really nice to still be on the compound where we know everyone. We’ll be sure to post an update as soon as we have one! Please pray that things go well on Monday and that Eden can come home with us!

Today I am 20 weeks! It’s hard to believe that we are half way there. I feel like a giant. I recently saw a video of me pushing a wheelchair and carrying Eden while dancing at the Sally Test Center and I looked enormous!

Baby Andy is moving around a lot more. Several times now, I have had to stop what I was doing because of how or where he was moving. It’s fun for me but poor Ben is so desperate to feel him and it hasn’t happened yet. The only other thing that I have really noticed is that my belly button seems to be slowly disappearing.

I have my first check up down here in 2 weeks and then the ultrasound to confirm that Andy is Andy the following week. We appreciate your prayers and will keep you updated!

It has been a rough few days at the Sally Test Center.  On Monday I had to take Eden to get some of her immunizations and one of them gave her a really bad fever.  She was sick Monday and Tuesday and it was hard to watch.  Also, one of the boys that has been a wonderful leader and helper to us at STC took a turn for the worse over the weekend.  He was too weak to even come to the celebration yesterday.
I told one of the guys that works here that in the midst of my excitement about getting to spend time with the kids and hold babies, I forgot that these kids are patients at the hospital.  They are sick and have such sad stories and some of them even die.  The teachers that I work with are wonderful but I have no idea how they do it year after year.
On a positive note today both Eden and Michael were feeling better.  Eden ate two bowls of cereal for breakfast (she normally doesn’t finish one) and she ate well the rest of the day.  She even ate an entire banana before I left at 5.  Michael was up and walking this afternoon and said he still felt tired but he didn’t feel as sick.  He gets daily chemo treatments so he’s bound to have low periods.  Please pray for the kids and the adults that are at the Sally Test Center.  We have fun, but there is a lot of sadness, too.
I met with Eden’s social worker from the hospital today.  She wasn’t able to give me very much information but said that she would talk to the chief children’s officer at the hospital and have information for me tomorrow.  At least we got the ball rolling.  YEA!!  🙂